Apologies if this has already been discussed (I did search but not find). I'm painting a picture of the 24th Foot VC's and there are some uniform details that I must check before committing to the paper.
1. What would LT Bromhead's red battledress epaulettes have looked like.
2. The corporal's stripes are stitched on a backing and the patch would then have been stitched on the uniform. Am I right in believing this and if so what colour would that backing patch have been?
The progress of this painting is being chronicled on my wordpress blog - if anyone cares to look and sees any inaccuracies please let me know, and feel free to comment.
Thanks.
Miles
http://studiobluesea.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/lt-Bromhead-colourdetail.jpg?w=150&h=112

peterw

Joined: 30 Aug 2005

Posts: 865

Location: UK

Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 8:15 am

Miles

Welcome to the forum. I can't help with the answers but commend your attention to detail.

Peter

studiobluesea

Joined: 10 Oct 2011

Posts: 4

Location: UK/Spain/South Africa

Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2011 5:13 pm

Thanks for the welcome, Peter. Artistic licence will prevail!

Martin Everett

Joined: 01 Sep 2005

Posts: 783

Location: Brecon

Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2011 10:27 pm

1. Lt Bromhead more than likely wore a soldiers pattern five button tunic (without badges of rank) while on campaign - see new holding page of museum and image of B Company at Pinetown - Bromhead is with Pip, Godwin Austen's dog - see www.rrw.org.uk He certainly would not be wearing his full dress tunic as you have suggested.

2. Corporals stripes (or more correctly chevrons) - white on red backing worn on right arm only. Remember line infantry chevrons are narrower than Foot Guards pattern. I do not have the sizes to hand.

_________________Martin Everett
Brecon, Powys

Rusteze

Joined: 05 Oct 2009

Posts: 56

Location: Hampshire UK

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 1:31 pm

Martin

I had always thought Bromhead was at the far left of front row in the picture, the soldier with the dog is at far right. Am I wrong?

_________________Rusteze

Martin Everett

Joined: 01 Sep 2005

Posts: 783

Location: Brecon

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 2:03 pm

Rusteze

You are right. It was late at night - after returning from hearing Rob Caskie in Cheltenham. Bromhead is bottom left - but still not wearing his full dress tunic as was incorrectly portrayed in film 'Zulu'.

Martin
I often find that, late at night, the little devils in these photographs get up and move around. Or it might just be the nightcap thats to blame!

_________________Rusteze

studiobluesea

Joined: 10 Oct 2011

Posts: 4

Location: UK/Spain/South Africa

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 6:47 pm

Thanks for your help, Martin. I'm doing a contemporary painting ... symbolic rather than an actual depiction of events, however, I do want the insignia that I'm using to be correct.
(BTW, it was Rob that ignited my imagination and got me started on this series of paintings!)
Miles.

David Langley

Joined: 30 Nov 2012

Posts: 20

Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 4:00 pm

In 1868 the Royal Army Clothing Department ledger noted that chevrons were not to be on facing colour, and were to be 1/2" worsted. Both these represented a change towards economy. Only the Foot Guards were spared. This had not changed by 1879. The worsted is in fact a rather off-white, tending towards the buff/yellow in some lights.